Romania loses EUR 740 M non-reimbursable funds from the PNRR for the construction of hospitals

​The healthcare system in Romania loses 740 million euros of non-reimbursable European money following the amendments operated to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The 740 million euros would have been intended for the construction of hospitals or hospital buildings.

On the other hand, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila vowed that these projects will go ahead, telling a press conference on Monday that they will be enforced, not with non-refundable European money, but with money borrowed from the European Investment Bank.

Initially, 27 hospitals in Romania would have received non-reimbursable funds from PNRR for headquarters, building bodies or new pavilions. The list has now been reduced to 21 hospitals.

“The European Commission ordered a decrease in funds for the entire PNRR of 2.1 billion euros from the area of ​​grants – non-reimbursable funds. Various activities have been reduced, in the sense that they are no longer funded. In health, 740 million euros were reduced from investments and there are 1.7 billion euros left for investments. Also, there are 400 million euros left for digitization”, explained the Minister of Health in a press conference on Monday. Under these conditions, the list of hospitals benefiting from PNRR funding has been revised, says Alexandru Rafila.

“We had to find another source of funding for the hospitals that are no longer on the PNRR list, and that they can be done“, explained the minister, who says that the money for the continuation of these projects will come from a loan from the European Bank of Investments.

“The European Commission asked Romania to reduce the objectives of What are the 27 hospitals that will receive money from the PNRR – new hospitals, but also old hospitals that will have headquarters, building bodies or new investment pavilions in such a way that they fit into that reduced budget”, Alexandru Rogobete, secretary of state in the Ministry of Health responsible for PNRR, also explained.

The completion deadline for large investments with funding from the PNRR – hospitals and hospital buildings – is July 30, 2026, Alexandru Rafila also said on Monday.